Choosing Online Massage Therapy Continuing Education Courses

A Continuing Education Unit (CEU) is similar to a credit, in that a specific amount must be accrued to meet the requirements for maintaining a certification-just as credits are required for degrees or certificates. A single CEU is made up of ten hours of training. This unit of measurement enables students to maintain accurate records of further instruction undertaken in their field. This is often needed for the purposes of demonstrating to employers, state licensing authorities and various other relevant third parties that they are engaged in an ongoing program of educational development. In the case of massage therapists seeking to maintain and improve both their practical skills and industry credentials, massage therapy continuing education courses are vitally important.

Participation in a massage therapy program of continuing development does not result in an academic qualification, for instance a degree or diploma. Its main purpose is to enable the therapist to keep up to date with the latest findings and treatments as they are released, and maintain their certification and licensing.

Different Types of Courses

Apart from the hands on aspects that massage therapy involves, a continuing education course may provide other relevant benefits, such as business skills, book keeping, methods of marketing, and client profiling. This arsenal of skills is essential in assisting a therapist run a thriving practice with a healthy balance sheet, while at the same making certain that client needs are met.

The Convenience of Online Study

It is possible to attend classes in a formal teaching environment such as at a salon's training academy, or alternatively home and online learning routes are also both available. In this case, the student receives the learning materials for the course by post or email. For obvious reasons, most professional chose to take their CEU courses online. This may seem intriguing as a massage therapy course would be expected to be mainly practical in nature. Don't forget that many procedures can be demonstrated by DVD and online video modules. For the parts of the course that are theoretical in nature, textbooks and online written guides are the main study aids.

Ranging from simple and high level physiology to the process of determining and treating different types of physical conditions, many different massage therapy continuing education courses are available on a variety of topics. The therapist with a specialty in treatments suited to a day spa environment is unlikely to seek further education in an area such as Fibromyalgia. In the same way, someone working in the area of massage for pregnancy may not be interested in training regarding the treatment of HIV patients.

Broadening Horizons

Participation in a well rounded learning program is beneficial for any therapist who does not wish to restrict their massage therapy career opportunities. Being in possession of a wide range of skills improves their chances of advancement within the industry. By being involved in further massage therapy education to broaden their basic range of services, the trainee will be more appealing to new employers and clients alike.

The following are examples of the different types of further education courses in massage therapy that can be taken by students online:

* Thai Massage
* Reflexology
* Sports Massage
* Cranial-Sacral Massage
* Ethical Case Management
* Hot Stone Massage
* Aromatherapy
* Advanced Anatomy and Pathology
* Prenatal Massage fundamentals
* Deep Vein Thrombosis

Many employers don't even consider candidates who do not participate in regular training development. Notwithstanding the appeal of accelerating your career advancement, the individual who invests in ongoing learning will always improve their standing and authority as a respected massage therapist.

Character Education Programs

Character is an important part of social life of every person and special attention has to be made to maintain it amongst the young generation. Character education programs are something that is incorporated into the syllabus of most public and private schools. The young generation, at present is under the influence of a large number of various cultures. As a result, youngsters of the Indian society are finding it hard to hold on their true characters. Behaving in public and in private are two very different things.

Some schools have psychologists as part of character education curriculum. These specially trained individuals play a significant role in defining the character of a student through repeated counselling procedures. Some youngsters have been found to have drifted away from normal life and forgotten social obligations due to family related problems. In these cases, the role of psychologists is indispensable. These programs are very efficient in building up a stronger and better young generation. Such curriculums have been known to bring back drifted individuals to the right paths in life.

The darkest aspects of human civilizations are crimes. And where do criminals end up? Jails... But, all criminals are not bad. Many have been forced to take up a life of crime due to certain social or economic compulsions. Whatever be the case, they must be brought back to mainstream life. And, the government needs to do its bit to promote character education programs in jails. If we are able to light up these dark minds, then we will surely be successful in building a crime free society. So, special vocational courses for prison inmates have to be arranged so that they can forget their miseries and enjoy a colourful life.

As we come towards the concluding section, we can easily draw out that character education curriculum is not something that remains strictly restricted to schools or educational institutes. Even grown up individuals need help and support to enrich their characters and face problems in a braver way. A person who has recently met an accident may become cowardice. But, with proper counselling, his character may be given a new shape so that he can look at life from a different point of view. Whatever be the case, these special types of programs form the backbone of the educated society and are here to play a major role in shaping our lives and future.